


Thirsting for Revenge

by marytalouise



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst, F/F, F/M, Forbidden Romance, M/M, Revenge, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-13
Updated: 2013-10-29
Packaged: 2017-12-29 08:25:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1003188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marytalouise/pseuds/marytalouise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren Jaeger has betrayed his own race - the werewolves. After his mother’s murder at their hands, Eren becoms someone completely unique to both the vampires and the werewolves, and he is captured to be used for the vampire’s fight against the werewolves. Levi is put in charge of watching the pup (although he’s already 18…) and is surprised by the lengths Eren will go to to extract revenge for his broken family.</p><p>-- On Hiatus Until Further Notice --</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Hybrid

**Author's Note:**

> "Death, the most dreaded of evils, is therefore of no concern to us; for while we exist death is not present, and when death is present we no longer exist." -- Epicurus

Levi waited patiently in the underground foyer, surrounded by his clan. They awaited the arrival of a new and dangerous captive – one who had the power to shift the tide of battle between the werewolves and the vampires.

Levi was the head of Clan Rose. There were two other clans; Clan Maria and Clan Sina. Levi interacted with the leaders of both clans daily. Erwin Smith controlled Clan Sina, while Hanji Zoe controlled Clan Maria. Each Clan had a specific duty, and certain responsibilities that came with those duties.

Clan Sina was put in charge of domestic affairs. They resolved conflict between the clans, and vampires in general, but they were also in charge of monetary issues, vampire laws, and case-by-case reviews dealing with criminal vampires.

Clan Maria focused mainly on research. Research on the werewolves, research on weapons, research on protection, research on themselves. If it could be researched, Clan Maria was sure to have some theory or hypothesis on it, if not a research project on it.

Clan Rose - Levi’s clan - dealt primarily with extraterritorial and foreign affairs. Foreign in the sense that if it wasn’t directly related with just the clans or the Noble Bloods, Levi was in charge of it. He took care of fighting the werewolves and he was known for being good at it. (Rumor had it that even the werewolves knew him by name.)

The clan leaders controlled their clans and had absolute power over their members. Levi refused to allow his members to cause unnecessary pain or death and his members were only allowed to find willing victims. Those who refused to feed that way were physically unable to attack, and even if they left the clan they were bound to Levi’s absolute order. Those who disobeyed usually ended up so thirsty they transitioned into an almost comatose state, that only another vampire could wake them out of. However, offering one’s own blood in the clan was taboo, and those who fell comatose usually stayed comatose.

Although the clan leaders controlled others, the Noble Bloods controlled the clan leaders. The Noble Bloods were the most secretive of the vampires, and few actually knew their identities. It was said that Erwin knew one of them, but nobody knew all three of them and Levi preferred it that way. The Noble Bloods were so powerful, that even without knowing their master’s faces and personalities, they received their orders and were bound to them.

The only orders the clan leaders were currently under were: 1) To watch the new arrival closely, 2) make that arrival comfortable, but to keep him on a tight leash and 3) to learn everything they could about him.

Levi had been put in charge of watching over the pup, if he could even be called that.

Eren Jaeger was odd. Even though most would say vampires and werewolves were odd themselves, Eren was on an entirely different level.

Levi hadn’t believed the story when it’d first been told to him by Sina’s clan leader.

The boy had been born as a werewolf, healthy and as normal as a werewolf could really be. He had grown up with a fairly normal life until you factored in that his father was one of the original werewolves. In that respect, he had always been treated with more leniency than the other pups, and it had earned him a great deal of disapprovers. However, the boy’s family was kind and also had another pup who was well liked, probably because that particular pup was unrelated to the first.

One day it had been discovered, that the boy’s father had disappeared, and the rest of the wolf council suspected him of treason. In return, the council had a team try to kill off the Jaeger line, but only succeeded in killing his mother. Eren and his adopted sister had run, straight into vampire territory.

This was the part Levi had a hard time believing: While Eren had been out looking for food, a Noble Blood had bit him, expecting him to die. However, Eren had undergone what was supposed to be the vampire transformation. Instead, he was able to transform into a werewolf-vampire hybrid. Levi hadn’t seen it, but according to Erwin it was true. That, coupled with his new orders, erased much of the doubt Levi had in the legitimacy of the story but did little to ease his troubled mind.

A commotion towards the entrance brought Levi back to the present and he felt himself go still – not the still of a human, but the still of a vampire. He didn’t breathe, didn’t blink, didn’t move at all.

From the crowd of vampires gathered emerged a young man of about eighteen or nineteen years of age. Levi was taken aback by the seemingly harmless young man. _This was the dangerous hybrid Erwin had warned me about?_

Just as he finished the thought, the youth in question’s eyes met Levi’s. What Levi saw impressed him; Eren’s eyes shone with determination, the blue-green depths of those eyes reminded Levi of a stormy sea. He was obviously struggling with turning on his own race, but he also wasn’t about to back down.

The front guard fisted his hand over his heart as a show of respect, and bowed slightly. “He’s all yours now, Clan Leader.”

As Levi talked to the guard, finalizing everything, he could feel Eren’s eyes on him.

Eren had heard the rumors of the vampire’s strongest fighter and although at a glance Eren felt the rumors had been exaggerated, when his eyes had met those gray ones, the doubts suddenly flew from his mind.

Levi finished conversing with the guard and motioned for Eren to follow him. “Come on, pup.”

Eren bit back a growl, and followed obediently. Levi smirked to himself, knowing the man behind him couldn’t see. _He really is like a dog_ , he mused.

Eren soon lost his sense of direction in the twisting and turning passageways but he knew that if he had to, he could follow scents to where he needed to go.

Levi stopped in front of a relatively cozy-looking jail cell and Eren halted behind him. Levi turned, eyeing the pup warily. “This is where you’ll be sleeping. Is there anything you need? Once I leave, no one will be back for you until dusk.”

Eren shook his head. “No, thank you sir. I’ll be fine until then.” For the first time since arriving Eren smiled, though it was a tired smile.

Levi nodded curtly. “Very well. I have to see to it that you’re properly chained and then I’m leaving.”

Eren sighed and stuck out his hands. He was surprised at the gentleness in Levi’s hands as he worked the chains into place and had gotten used to the silence – so much so that when Levi spoke up, it startled Eren.

“My name is Levi, by the way,” he muttered.

Eren chuckled at his own jumpiness and then smiled at Levi. “I know, sir.”

Levi didn’t quite know what to say to that and when he finished, he left without another word.

Eren stared up and the rock ceiling above him and tried to sleep. His head was a mess and, although he hid it well, he was having a hard time coping with the death of one parent, and the disappearance of the other. He missed his brethren – Armin, Mikasa, even Jean. Most of all, he missed his mother.

Eren fell asleep with tears leaking from his tired eyes.

_Eren was nine years old and he’d just arrived home from school._

_“Mom!” he called out. “Mom, I’m home!”_

_He heard the muted call of “kitchen” from the depths of the house and he made his way to the cooking area. His mom stood in the kitchen making some type of soup. Eren sniffed the air. “Lamb stew?”_

_His mom smiled sheepishly. “I wanted to surprise you, but I guess with a nose like yours, that’s impossible.”_

_Eren’s chest puffed up with pride. “Of course not, nothing gets by me!” He boasted._

_As he finished the sentence, a pair of small hands grabbed his shoulder and a soft voice whispered “boo” in his ear._

_“Kyaaa!” Eren jumped away from the hands and Eren’s mom burst into laughter. Mikasa was in the doorway, looking extremely pleased with herself._

_“What was that, Eren? Nothing gets past you?” she taunted._

_Eren growled, the animalistic sound mashing with his words. “Shut up.”_

_His mom just smiled gently and turned back to stirring the soup. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed as the family registered running footfalls. A pack of werewolves that Eren didn’t recognize burst into the kitchen and Eren’s mom pushed Mikasa and Eren to the side._

_“You know where to go,” she screamed. “Run! Run, Eren! Look after each other!”_

_Eren lunged to help, but was pulled back by Mikasa’s strong grip._

_“Mom!” Eren called. “Mikasa, let me go! I have to help Mom!”_

_Tears were running down Eren’s face as Mikasa dragged him away, and he barely registered Mikasa’s desperate murmurings of “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”_

Eren awoke gasping for breath and covered in sweat. Although he hadn’t been nine when the actual event took place, he had felt like a nine year old: helpless, weak, and scared.

Outside the cell, Levi leaned against the wall. He’d felt compelled to come check on the pup, and he’d heard him thrashing in his sleep.

Eren had obviously just woken up and Levi could hear the minute tremors in his breathing as he struggled to come back to reality.

Levi stayed against the wall as he heard Eren’s cries, and his soft pleas for his mother to return. This side of the hybrid shifted something in Levi’s heart, though he was unaware, and he stayed still until he was sure that Eren had returned to a sleep free of nightmares.

Levi looked in at the young man, and he couldn’t help but notice that although Eren was already asleep, he still looked tired somehow.

Levi stared for a few more minutes before turning around and heading back to his own quarters.

* * *

 

Eren woke up when he heard a commotion coming from the hallway.

Levi seemed to be the only calm person – walking through the halls while everyone around him was rushing someplace. Levi opened the door and laid an outfit on the bed before unlocking Eren’s chains.

“Hurry up and change,” Levi snapped. “Apparently you’ve got friends here to see you.”

Eren’s eyes widened and he scrambled to get dressed, ignoring Levi’s presence in the room, other than to direct a question towards Levi: “Who is it, sir?”

“Just come on and you can find out.”

Eren followed Levi enthusiastically, and once again Levi was reminded of an actual dog.

As they entered the foyer, one of Levi’s clansmen came up to Levi. Eren didn’t really follow the conversation because they were speaking a foreign language, something that sounded like French.

“Levi, peut-être amener le garçon ici c'était une mauvaise idée ... Nous avons besoin de les interroger en premier,” the lackey muttered.

 “Contestez-vous mon autorité?” Levi’s voice seemed to drop the temperature around him by a few degrees and Eren watched their exchange.

“Non, mais ...” the man’s sentence trailed of as Levi smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant smile, rather it was to bare his fangs as a reminder that _he_ was the clan leader.

Eren was sure that if vampires could become paler, the subordinate definitely would’ve done so.

“Forgive me,” he murmured in English, fisting his hand over his heart and backing away hastily to let Levi pass.

“Eren, come.” Eren followed him, avoiding looking at the man who’d been fighting with Levi.

“Eren!” two very familiar voices called out.

Eren’s head snapped up and he saw Mikasa and Armin in the middle of a circle of vampires. “Mikasa, Armin!” Eren glanced to Levi, and Levi nodded his head slowly.

Eren broke into a run and wrapped one arm around each of his friends. “What are you guys doing here?”

Levi watched the reunion with a stoic expression, but Eren was in his own world with his friends.

Armin smiled sheepishly. “I went to find you and Mikasa after you guys took off. I don’t really have anyone except you guys after Grandfather…”

Eren just nodded quietly in understanding.

Mikasa’s face was serious, and so was her voice. “I’ll follow you anywhere, even into the lair of our enemies.”

Eren’s somewhat calm expression vanished and both Armin and Mikasa were taken aback.

“They aren’t my enemies anymore,” he stated evenly. “I’m here because I’m on their side now. I’m going to get revenge for Mom, if it’s the last thing I do. So if you’re here based off of half-assed feelings – leave.”

Levi was shocked by the conviction in Eren’s voice, and Mikasa and Armin seemed to have been shocked speechless as well.

Mikasa lowered her eyes. “I can’t say that I’m on _their_ side, but I am on _yours,_ Eren. If this is what you’ve decided to do, I’ll follow you. There’s nothing half-assed about it.”

Armin’s gaze didn’t waiver, but his eyes softened towards his long-time friend. “I’m on your side, too, Eren. You know the council sent my grandfather to his death and I want revenge as much as you do. So let’s stay together, okay?”

Eren seemed to have lost his enthusiasm, but he nodded once.

Eren turned as Levi called out to him. He said goodbye to Armin and Mikasa for the moment and then headed towards Levi.

“Where are we going now, sir?” Eren pondered.

Eren glanced at Levi suspiciously, uncomfortable with the smirk on his lips and lilt in his voice as he answered, “You’re going to meet Clan Leader Hanji.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay everyone, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my new project! I used googletranslate for the French, so if there is anything grammatically incorrect please message me through my tumblr (bakageta-ai).
> 
> Other than that, feedback is always appreciated and although I don't have any posts in the tag, I track #marytalouise on tumblr if anyone wants to put their reactions there.
> 
> I won't bother you anymore, so until next update!~


	2. Experimentation

Eren followed Levi’s figure in front of him and he felt some annoyance toward himself. Sure, he’d been born as a werewolf, but he recognized that his puppy-like actions were getting a bit ridiculous. Of course he didn’t really know how else to act in an unfamiliar environment, but that only served to piss him off more.

Levi led Eren to a more modernized section of the underground structure where doors turned from wood to steal, and things became more sanitary. Eren wasn’t sure if it was his imagination or not, but once they got into the cleaner parts, Levi seemed to become a little more upbeat.

Eren chuckled quietly at the idea and Levi turned around to glare suspiciously. “What are you laughing at, brat?”

Eren somehow managed to tame his grin and keep a straight face while Levi stared. “Nothing, sir. It just seems that you’re happier in a cleaner environment.”

“Tch.” Levi turned back around and continued walking. “There’s nothing wrong with that,” he muttered icily. Although Levi’s voice was cold, the truth was that he’d been surprised by Eren’s observation. He’d known the kid all of a day and a half and he could already read his moods? Was he slipping, or had he finally come across someone remarkable? _Stop._ Levi ordered himself sternly. Those kinds of thoughts were dangerous and unnecessary; they would cause nothing but trouble. Levi glanced back at Eren walking behind him and smirked at the lost look in his eyes.

“Sir,” Eren began, “when exactly are we going to meet Clan Leader Hanji?” Eren felt like they’d been walking a long time, and he was starting to feel impatient.

“We’re here,” Levi replied. He had come to a stop in front of a larger-than-normal steal door that opened with a quiet hiss.

“Eren!” Suddenly a blur shot past Levi and latched onto Eren. “I’ve waited so long to meet you, ever since I first heard about you!”

Eren couldn’t help the reflexive reaction to being surprised by a stranger and he growled; a low growl that reverberated through the halls and was definitely inhuman.

The person was immediately pulled back by other vampires, and was being scolded although she ignored all the heartfelt murmurs of “Clan Leader Hanji, you must be more careful,” and “Ma’am, value your life a little more!”

Levi sighed. “Hanji, honestly. Why do you have to be so bothersome? Can’t you introduce yourself normally?”

The woman in question, Eren assumed was Hanji, seemed to possess an average build and she had light brown hair tied up in a ponytail. Warm brown eyes stared at Eren from behind glasses and in the back of Eren’s mind he made a mental note to ask her why she wore them – vampires had perfect eyesight after all. Those eyes, although warm, also emitted an eerie aura that caused Eren’s skin to prickle. He was being looked at as though he was, well, an experiment. It made him uncomfortable but he had known when he came that experimentation was bound to happen. He had also, however, been treated well thus far, and he decided to have a little faith that the level of treatment would remain the same, as much as possible, during the experiments.

Eren held out his hand hesitantly, afraid the woman would latch onto him again. “I’m Eren Jaeger, originally from a family of werewolves. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Clan Leader Hanji.”

Hanji giggled. “What a polite young man! You may call me Hanji,” at this, several of the vampires muttered about “familiarity” and Hanji waved their comments away. “Only while we’re not in the presence of most of the vampires though, okay? As a clan leader,” she glared at the vampires behind her, “I’m not supposed to be too familiar, but I honestly hate that custom. So I’ll call you Eren, okay?”

Eren nodded mutely, surprised but just how energetic Hanji was. Hanji turned on her heels and walked back into the room she had emerged from, motioning for Levi and Eren to follow.

Hanji ordered three chairs to be brought, and she, Eren and Levi all sat once they had been set down. “Well,” Hanji clapped her hands together. “First, I have a few questions for you before we start your first experiment.”

Eren nodded, silently signaling that he was ready for the questions to begin.

Hanji switched from an energetic, slightly eccentric woman to an extremely serious scientist in less than a second. “The first question has to do with your healing abilities. Have you been hurt after becoming a hybrid? If so, what was the severity of the wound and how long did it take for said wound to heal?”

Eren laughed without humor. “I was wounded shortly after the change, actually. I was hunting with my adopted sister, Mikasa, and I was caught off guard by a pair of human hunters chasing the same deer as us. I was shot in my abdomen, with some kind of gun – I’m not really familiar with human weapons, so I apologize. The wound was about this big,” here Eren held up his hands to make a circle showing how big the wound was. “It didn’t take long to heal, maybe thirty minutes if I’m being generous.” Eren’s voice lowered as he continued. “Normally that kind of wound would have taken at least three hours to heal in my normal wolf form. It’s nice that it healed so quickly, but it’s also a little scary.”

Hanji stared wide-eyed. “Well,” she started slowly. “That’s actually all I needed to know for the first experiment I had planned. I wasn’t expecting you to have been wounded, so I had back-ups prepared but it appears that we can save those for another day!”

Eren couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on his lips. _The eager side of hers is back,_ he thought idly. “What _is_ the first experiment, Hanji?”

Hanji grinned. “I’m glad you asked! As you probably know, vampires don’t actually burn up in the sunlight, but it does weaken us. UV lights are like concentrated doses of sun, which can significantly wound us and disrupt our healing metabolism. Werewolves have been aware of this and created guns with bullets loaded with active UV lights; we managed to get our hands on some. Now that you’re part vampire, I’m curious as to how the UV bullets will affect you. For normal vampires, the wounds take about a day and a half to heal, where a normal bullet would only take a few hours but you’ve already said you heal faster than normal with your new state. When we’re done with the UV bullets, we’d like to wait until those wounds heal and see how your own weakness will affect you – the silver bullets.”

Eren’s eyes widened. Hanji waved her hands in what Eren assumed was supposed to be a calming gesture. “Don’t worry Eren, we won’t shoot you anywhere that would pose a threat to your health. We’re mostly doing this to see your tolerance to both stimuli as well as the period of regeneration time.”

For the first time since sitting down, Levi spoke. “I’ll also be here to make sure that she doesn’t do anything unnecessary. That’s my job, right? So don’t worry. You want to help us just as much as we want you to help us, so we’re not going to do anything to ruin a major advantage to our side.”

Eren swallowed thickly, and nodded. Hanji smiled and got up to prepare everything needed for the experiments. She ordered her subordinates to bring all the necessary weapons, as well as to contact a leader named Erwin to send medical supplies just in case.

For the next hour, everything was the bustling of activity, the readying of equipment and the preparing of data collection sheets and utensils.

Finally, preparations were finished and Hanji was ready to begin the experiments.

Eren was told to strip down to a pair of sweatpants, borrowed from one of Hanji’s subordinates. Then, Hanji sat him down in an area of the lab entirely covered in plastic to “both prevent a mess, and preserve your blood for testing,” according to Hanji. Eren was already learning that Hanji put her experimentations above almost all else and that she took them much more seriously than one might expect from her personality.

Once that was done, one of Hanji’s subordinates placed both guns beside Hanji, as well as a box of medical equipment. Hanji also explained that Eren would need to be chained because they were unsure how the pain would affect him. If he were to change and lose control, it wouldn’t make anyone happy. Levi seconded the opinion by muttering something about killing a “bratty pup.”

Chained to the wall, but sitting comfortably in a chair, Hanji asked if Eren was ready to go, and confirmed that the first bullet was the UV one.

Eren nodded once, closing his eyes and shutting everything out of his mind. He was so focused on _not_ focusing on what was happening that the gunshot caught him completely off-guard; normally he would have heard the click as the safety shut off, as well as the squeezing of the trigger.

Eren felt the UV bullet tear through his upper arm, shredding muscle and fat before emerging to get stuck in the wall. Eren growled but unlike before it was a controlled growl, one that meant he was trying to control to the sudden pain but that he didn’t want to make a scene.

Eren vaguely heard Hanji murmur, “Amazing control!” before the scratch of pen to paper was the only sound to be heard, along with the occasional drip of blood from his arm.

He glanced up and met a pair of smoldering gray eyes that reminded Eren of liquid silver. _How ironic,_ Eren thought. _My caretaker has eyes the color of something that’s able to kill me._

Hanji’s sudden gasp caused Eren to glance at her confused.

“Eren,” she squealed excitedly. “During the hunting accident, was the bullet still in you while you tried to heal?”

Eren nodded slowly. “But Hanji, what does that have to do with anything?”

Hanji pointed excitedly at his arm and as Levi looked as well, his eyes also widening fractionally. Eren glanced down in alarm, but all he saw was a bloody mess.

“I don’t…” his voice trailed off, clearly implying that he didn’t understand.

Levi sighed. “Look past the blood, brat. Your wound is already almost fully healed. I give it maybe two minutes before the process is complete.

Eren looked more closely and saw that Hanji and Levi were right. The only trace of a wound was blood and scarred tissue that was healing as Eren watched. The room was silent as everyone witnessed the wound heal before their eyes.

Hanji’s sudden high-pitched squeal surprised Eren for the second time, but instead of talking she focused on writing down her observations. While Hanji wrote, Eren stared at his arm in amazement. Soon, Hanji gave the command for everything to be collected and redone.

Unlike the first time, the set up only took about fifteen minutes and this time the process was repeated with the silver bullet. Also, just like the UV bullet, Eren’s body seemed to heal in less than five minutes. Hanji was beside herself, brimming with excitement.

“It’s amazing!” She’d shout at anyone listening. “It seems the vampiric transformation has left him immune to the silver bullets while the traces of his werewolf origins has left him _also_ immune to UV bullets! I have a feeling that if we shot the bullets the same way they were shot in Eren’s hunting accident that he would heal at the same rate. Oh my God, this is so exciting!”

It may have been Eren’s imagination, but he thought Hanji was _literally_ vibrating with excitement. Though once he’d been unchained and he tried to walk, he stumbled.

“What kind of scientist am I?!” Hanji’s voice sounded disappointed. “I forgot some of the most important follow-up questions in my excitement. Eren, how are you feeling is first and foremost, other than the obvious dizziness.”

Eren thought about it, respecting Hanji’s love of data enough that he wanted to give her as accurate an account as he could. “I’m exhausted. I’m not only dizzy, but I think my vision is blurring as well. Rather than feeling hot from an increased metabolism like I normally do, I’m freezing. My head also hurts, but that could just be a result of the gunshots being fired at a close range. I don’t feel the need to change forms, nor am I feeling any sort of craving for blood. Neither the vampiric craving for human blood nor the werewolf-like craving for animal blood.”

“Okay, can you get any more specific about what the wound and healing process felt like?”

“Well the wounds shocked and pained me but I think the pain wore off much earlier than the shock. I couldn’t tell that I was healing the first time, but once I knew what was happening I almost felt like I could feel the torn pieces knitting themselves back together or growing back. It’s kind of creepy now that I think about it. Also, while I heal, I think that everything about me is heightened, not just my metabolism. I could hear, see, and smell much better right after I was shot. I don’t know if that’s the normal adrenaline rush or not, but it happened.

Hanji dutifully wrote down everything that Eren said, and Levi sighed. “Although it may be true that you aren’t craving any blood, we’re going to go get your first meal as a vampire. You just lost a lot of your own blood, and if you don’t replenish the supply soon we don’t know if you’ll go insane with thirst. Same goes for your werewolf cravings, though I don’t understand that as well. First we’ll take care of the vampiric side and then we can go to the woods outside and you can hunt a dear or something.”

Hanji opened her mouth to speak but Levi cut her off. “No, you can’t come with us. You’ll pester Eren with so many questions that he won’t be able to concentrate on feeding.”

Hanji pouted. “Do you promise to mentally record everything he does, how he reacts and then report it all back to me?”

Levi glared. “I don’t really have a choice, right? If I don’t, you’ll just come along.”

Hanji grinned. “You know me all too well.”

“Unfortunately,” he muttered under his breath.

Hanji heart him but chose to ignore him as she busied herself with putting away the things from the experiments.

“You guys can go, I’ve got more than enough to do for the rest of the night. Plus, although the sun won’t kill us, you should hurry and get everything done before sun-up. I don’t want a weakened Levi to be watching over someone who may be able to fully function in the sunlight.”

Levi snickered. “Nag, nag, nag. That’s all you do Hanji. We’ll be fine no matter the time of day. I’m stronger than an average vampire, right?”

Hanji stared at Levi for a few heartbeats before shrugging. “I suppose that’s true enough.”

Levi motioned for Eren to follow him and Eren trailed behind Levi dutifully.

Levi had been surprised at how well Eren handled the pain of being shot. Even an extremely experienced vampire like himself would have made more noise after being hit with a UV bullet, and Eren’s regeneration rate was absolutely astounding. This man kept surprising Levi, doing the opposite of what he suspected. Levi had yet to decide if that was a good thing or if it would become an annoyance.

They made their way silently through the various parts of the underground quarters and although Eren got suspicious stares and not so quiet whispers wherever he went, he kept going like he hadn’t noticed a thing and Levi admired that. Most kids would have been a nervous wreck around so many vampires but Eren was holding his own. Not that Levi would ever tell the kid that, but thinking it was harmless.

Levi and Eren finally made it to the exit which was guarded by two vampires. Upon seeing Levi, they saluted with their fists over their hearts and opened the door to the outside world. It was chilly outside, but Eren didn’t feel the cold and he assumed Levi didn’t either.

While they walked Eren asked a question. “Levi, why do the vampires salute their clan leader with their fists over their heart?”

Levi glanced behind him, surprised. “Is it that important?”

Eren thought for a moment. “No, sir, I guess it isn’t. I’m just curious.”

Levi sighed and turned to face forward again. “I’m not one hundred percent positive, but most vampires agree it has something to do with how the heart is one of our only weak spots. Sort of as if we trust each other with our lives whenever we salute. It seems extremely formal, but that’s how it’s always been, even with the clan leaders before me.”

“Before you?” Eren murmured.

“Yes, before me. I haven’t been a vampire forever, I was once human. A shitty human, but human nonetheless. Erwin is the one who changed me. Literally, and figuratively. He’s the one who bit me, and he was also the one who taught me how to act as a person, at least as much as he could with my personality.”

Eren stared at the man in front of him; that was the most he’d heard Levi talk about himself, and although it’d only been about two days since they had first met, Eren seriously doubted that Levi talked about himself all that often.

As Levi finished talking they arrived at a remote building on some of the vampire’s property. It was large, reminding Eren of a bed and breakfast or motel. Levi walked right in and Eren stared at the luxurious furnishings, though not for long because Levi just kept moving until finally stopping in front of a door with the number 12 printed on it.

Here he knocked and the door was opened quickly. Eren stared at the pretty and slim woman in the doorway, before following Levi inside. The room inside contained a kitchenette, a television, a computer desk, a dresser and a bed. There was a door on the far side of the room that Eren assumed was the bathroom. It had all the basic necessities required to live fairly comfortably but Eren thought it lacked anything of personal value.

“We’re here for a feeding,” Levi explained.

The girl laughed. “Of course you are; what else would your kind be doing here?”

Levi shrugged, and motioned for Eren to sit with her on the bed.

“The important thing is for you not to think about it too much, Eren. Your instincts will take over and it will all happen naturally, okay?”

Eren trusted Levi, and even though Eren couldn’t explain why, Levi’s words helped to calm his nerves.

The girl in front of Eren tilted her neck to the side and bared her neck. Levi tapped gently at the place where her neck connected to her shoulder. “Here should be fine.”

Eren swallowed hard, and moved to bite down on the place where Levi’s fingers had just been. The fangs he was still unaccustomed to bit through the skin like soft butter and blood filled Eren’s mouth. Before Eren had began, he had thought he might throw up, but the reality was that the blood tasted _good._ It didn’t taste like anything ridiculous, it still tasted like blood but now Eren found himself _wanting_ it. After a few hearty swallows, Levi put his hand on Eren’s shoulder as if to say “that’s enough.” Eren detatched his mouth from the woman’s neck, and stared. Two holes were apparent where Eren had just been and as Eren watched a trail of blood dropped from one of them.

Levi was ready with a bandage and quickly covered the wound up after cleaning up the blood.

“Thank you, Rene,” Levi murmured.

The woman, Rene, waved his words away. “It’s what I’m here for, right? Now leave.”

Eren thought he saw the ghost of a smile on Levi’s lips but he complied and motioned for Eren to follow him out. As Levi shut the door he turned to Eren. “How was it?”

Eren felt his cheeks color. “Not…bad.”

Levi nodded curtly. “I expected as much. Now, let’s go to the woods and get rid of your animalistic bloodlust.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why but I'm having so much fun writing this story. I hope you guys are enjoying it thus far, and as always feedback is welcomed and appreciated, either through tumblr or the comments.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to have it updated again soon! c:


	3. Ambush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to get this chapter up before I left for school, so please ignore the mistakes! I'll be editing it this weekend when I have time.
> 
> Enjoy!

Eren couldn’t stay calm on the walk to the woods – he found his mind wandering at an alarmingly fast pace and his muscles literally ached to be used. He called out to Levi, asking how he usually felt after feeding.

“I guess the best way to describe it would be energized. Why, are you feeling funny?” Levi questioned.

Eren shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t say I feel ‘funny,’ but I do feel extremely restless; almost as if I could start acting like Hanji any moment now and that’s definitely how I normally am.”

Levi turned around, pegging Eren with a glare that would have scared most people. “If you start acting like Hanji, I’ll find a way to shut you up and it won’t be pleasant.”

Eren threw his hands up in mock surrender. “I was using her as a way to describe how affected I was, I wasn’t serious about _acting_ like her. I doubt anyone other than her could pull off that level of enthusiasm.”

Levi didn’t reply and turned to continue walking. Eren frowned to himself, partially disgusted with himself for feeling so energetic after snacking on a human. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest but he ignored it, trying to focus on their path to the forest.

As they reached the edge of the forest Eren noticed that it was eerily silent. The trees looked like silver in the moonlight, and the branches were bare, although it was only the middle of autumn, and leaves littered the ground. Even walking the first few meters into the forest didn’t bring out any of the normally present natural sounds of wildlife, their footsteps being the only sound at all. Eren grabbed Levi’s wrist with one hand and put a finger to his lips in the other, gesturing for Levi to remain silent. He opened his mouth to warn Levi when a growl sounded from the darkness around them.

Levi immediately went into a defensive crouch, drawing his gun loaded with silver bullets. Behind him he heard the unnatural sound of bones being broken and reformed but he couldn’t spare a glance to see if Eren was okay. They were completely surrounded by werewolves and although it didn’t show, Levi was pissed and confused. _How the hell were they able to break through our defenses?_ He couldn’t come up with a viable answer but he intended to talk to both his own clan members and Erwin’s who were supposed to collaborate in the defense of their land.

His thought process was cut off when one of the werewolves lunged and Levi fired, one round straight through the heart of the too-slow wolf. It landed with a heavy thud on the forest ground and Levi’s eyes immediately located the next two closest targets.

Behind him Levi could hear the sounds of fighting and of flesh being torn. He heard yet another thud and, as he was still alive, he assumed Eren had taken one of them down. The fought for several minutes, the only sounds were the snarls of the wolves and the hisses from Levi. Eventually Levi fought his attackers off with only a few scratches that would heal in minutes. When he turned around his eyes met an alarming yet alluring sight.

Eren stood on his now “hind” legs, feet turned into paws with long talons. His body was covered in soft-looking reddish-brown hair that, although redder than his actual hair, reminded Levi of the youth’s hair when he was in his humanoid form. He was fighting a similar looking wolf, only its fur was a blond that Levi had never seen on a natural animal. Levi watched quietly and stayed out of the way as the two struggled. Eren got one good scratch in and that seemed to decide the other’s actions; the animal rushed Eren quickly to knock him off balance and then turned tail and ran. Eren stared at the direction the wolf had gone, body tense.

“No, Eren. We have to get back and talk to the other clan leaders.”

Levi watched as Eren relaxed and lowered down to all fours and gave Levi a look.

It only took a few seconds before Levi realized Eren wanted him to hop on. Levi glared at the wolf. “No. Way.”

Eren growled at him, and Levi hated to admit it but he hadn’t fed in a while, preferring to get Eren settled in first and he was starting to feel it in his limbs. He sighed. “If you do anything stupid, I’ll kill you, remember?”

The wolf’s head, Eren’s head, dipped low in acknowledgement. Levi sighed and swung up onto the massive animal. He wondered idly where Eren got the mass to transform into an animal this big, but the thought quite literally flew out of his head as Eren broke straight into a run. Levi would never admit it, but he was amazed with the speed and grace Eren possessed while in his more natural form. The scenery blurred around Levi, even with his vampiric eyesight and he clutched at Eren’s fur. As his fingers slid through the fur, Levi marveled quietly at its softness but he hid it well. He shook his head hard once to clear the thoughts and focus on what he would be doing when they got back to the entrance of the underground manor.

He didn’t have long to think about because after about a minute they came to a stop outside of the doors leading inside the Vampire’s hideout. Levi jumped off quickly and he watched as Eren became a normal-looking young man. However, Levi also noticed that Eren’s clothes had disappeared and as he looked at Eren’s face he became amused at the flush he saw spread across Eren’s cheeks. Levi sighed, and knocked quickly. He was let in and Eren followed meekly. Levi glanced over the guards and told the bigger of the two to lend Eren his shirt.

Levi gave a warning hiss when the guard looked like he was going to argue and he handed his shirt over reluctantly. Eren thanked the guard, who ignored him, and slipped the shirt on. It was big enough that it covered all his private areas and Levi motioned for him to follow after telling the guards to get Hanji and Erwin immediately and direct them to his business quarters. Just before they left, he turned quickly.

“One more thing,” he called. “Are the surveillance teams responding?” The guard spoke into what looked to Eren like a walkie-talkie and they heard a reply before the guard nodded.

“Both teams are responding, sir.” Levi nodded, then began to walk to his business quarters. He set a quick pace and Eren kept up easily so that they reached Levi’s ‘office’ quickly. Levi opened the door and Eren stepped in after him, noting in the back of his mind that the space was absolutely spotless.

Levi opened a drawer in his desk and tossed a pair of pants made out of a flexible material and a pair of underwear. “Change. The underwear is new and the pants should stretch to fit you.”

Eren muttered his thanks and when he was done changing, Levi pointed to a chair. “Go ahead and sit. Erwin and Hanji should be here soon.”

“Um,” Eren began. Levi glanced at him, waiting. “Erwin is the third clan leader, correct?”

Levi blinked, realizing that Erwin and Eren had yet to really meet and he nodded his head in confirmation. “He’s also the unofficial leader of the three of us clan leaders, mostly because he has the most experience and knows at least one of the Noble Bloods.” Eren gave him a confused look and Levi sighed. “I guess you can consider them the ‘original’ vampires. You were turned by one, didn’t you know that?”

Eren shrugged in response. “Not really. I just know I got bit and changed. I thought it was just a fluke.”

Levi huffed. “Well it’s that, too; we’ve never known another person to undergo the same change you have.”

Eren glanced at him sideways through his tangled mass of hair. “Didn’t you see the last wolf I fought? She was like me.”

Levi’s eyes narrowed. “How could you tell?”

“The stance – normal werewolves can’t stand on their hind legs for an extended amount of time, yet he or she was fighting the same way I was the entire time.” Eren’s eyes were serious, more serious than Levi had seen them yet. “I’m not the only one.”

An uncomfortable silence filled the room as Levi thought over Eren’s revelation but Erwin and Hanji entered the room soon after. Hanji’s eyes brightened mischievously as she caught what Eren was wearing and opened her mouth to comment when the mood in the room finally enveloped her and she shut her mouth quickly. She turned; taking in Levi’s disheveled appearance and rather unpleased expression. If Levi didn’t look close to perfect she knew that something had gone wrong.

Eren and Erwin looked at each other, sizing each other up. Eren ran over Erwin’s features with his eyes. He was tall, blond with blue eyes and his thick eyebrows made him a bit more intimidating than Eren had expected but Eren didn’t say anything, choosing to be quiet.

Erwin stared at Eren for a minute, but chose not to say anything either. He turned to face Levi and he asked what had happened in a deep voice that seemed to fill the room.

“We were ambushed,” Levi began. He went on to tell Erwin all that had happened that night, and also about Eren’s theory that he wasn’t the only hybrid around.

Where Erwin was silent, Hanji was buzzing with a barely contained excitement. Eren couldn’t quite understand her fascination, especially under these circumstances, but he had seen enough of her personality during the experiments to somewhat expect her reaction. She was muttering under her breath about possibilities and theories and research – all science-y things that Eren wished he understood the importance of but just couldn’t.

Erwin, in contrast, stood next to Hanji and he barely moved. His brows were drawn together making him look like he was involved in deep thought.

Levi spoke again, and this time there was a hint of anger in his voice. “We also need to have a talk with our clan members. What the hell were they doing to have that amount of wolves make it into to our compound?”

Erwin’s face was grim. “I was wondering the same thing. We’ll have to question them about tonight’s surveillance and review the security film later. I’ll have a team of replacements sent so I can question my men. You should do the same.”

Levi thought it over. “I’ll question them when they’re done with their current shift. I don’t want to give off the impression that we suspect them of… I don’t know what you would call this. It’s nearly impossible for a Vampire to disobey orders, and they’ve been ordered to capture intruders or die trying, but they’re alive and kicking. I had the front guard talk to them when we first stepped in.”

Erwin sighed, rubbing his temple as though he had a headache. A voice in the back of his mind wondered if vampires could get headaches, but that thought was cut off when Erwin’s voice filled the room again. “Well, firstly we’ll have to limit Eren’s movement, because I’m assuming he’s the only reason they would attack on our own land. We’ve got bagged human blood so that won’t be a problem for his vampire bloodlust, but as for animal blood… I’m going to have to reach out to local butcher shops and see if they’ll collect the blood for a price. That should sate his werewolf bloodlust.”

Eren gulped. He had never had bagged blood and that made him a little nervous; many of the werewolves back home had told some horror stories about the bagged blood and its taste.

Levi took a look at his face and scoffed. “It’s either that or starve, kid. Personally, I don’t want to have an insane hybrid running around so you can drink it willingly or I’ll shove it down your throat.”

Eren searched Levi’s eyes for any sign that he was joking. When he found none, he nodded once. “I’ll drink it,” he muttered.

Levi nodded once as if to say, ‘ _Good.’_ Erwin took a deep breath. “Also, you’re going to be under surveillance 24/7. As a Clan Leader, I can’t entirely rule out the possibility that you had arranged to be rescued after learning a few of our secrets, mainly from Hanji’s lab. I’m sorry.”

Eren shook his head slightly. “No, I understand, Clan Leader,” Eren murmured, the tone of respect subduing the volume of his voice. Though to himself, he thought, _why would I kill someone who tried to rescue me?_ Out loud, Eren asked, “May I make one request though?”

Both Erwin and Levi raised an eyebrow, but Erwin nodded. “Can I have some time to talk with Armin? I’ll talk to Mikasa later, but she’ll be worried if I tell her about it now and I’d rather not deal with that tonight.”

Erwin thought about it and then shrugged. “I don’t see why not, if you don’t mind being monitored by Levi or someone else.”

Eren thought about it. “I suppose it doesn’t matter who monitors me, but if possible could it be Hanji?”

Eren had formed a strange attachment to the woman, and he firmly believed that Hanji wouldn’t repeat anything she heard unless it directly put the clan in danger. Plus, if he was being honest with himself, he was counting on Hanji’s weird obsession with science and the fact that she would love to observe him, even if he wasn’t necessarily doing an experiment.

Hanji brightened. “I don’t have a problem with it!”

Erwin nodded. “Very well, Hanji can guard you for a part of tonight but with her research it’s back to Levi as soon as he gets back from running errands with me, which won’t take long. Deal?”

Eren smiled gratefully. “Deal.”

Levi remained expressionless throughout the exchange, but he was admittedly peeved. Did the brat dislike him so much that he was willing to spend more time than necessary with that shitty four-eyes? Even though the idiot had perfect vision, she rarely took her glasses off. Not to mention Levi caught her staring at Eren like a piece of lab research-meat more often than not. _What am I getting all hot and bothered for?_ Levi mused. No, this was definitely not like him.

“I’ll go out and arrange for more of the human blood, you can go talk to the local meat shops about the animal blood, yeah?” Levi asked Erwin.

“Very well,” he responded. “Let me get Armin and then we can leave. I’ll take him to your room Eren, so start heading there now.”

The two pairs split off, Erwin and Levi heading towards the entrance and Hanji and Eren going deeper into the manor.

The walk was relatively quiet, save for Hanji’s muted humming. He wondered what she was humming, but decided not to ask as he pegged her for the kind of person that could talk for hours about trivial things. As Eren arrived at the cell, he became confused as Erwin and Armin arrived at roughly the same time. “How…?” he wondered.

Erwin smiled, and it was the first time that Eren let the thought sneak in that Erwin could be a warm man. “It’s just some shortcuts I know. Alright, I’m off!” Erwin saluted the group and Eren unconsciously mimicked the movement along with Hanji. Erwin’s eyes widened at the gesture and Eren blushed as realized what he had done. A softer, barely-there smile turned the corners of Erwin’s lips up and he took his leave without saying anything to Eren.

Eren blinked in surprise, wondering when he had committed the salute to memory. He shook his head and motioned for Armin to follow him, bowing slightly, in the mood for a little silliness with his childhood friend. “Welcome to my humble abode; please, step right in.”

Armin smirked, suppressing a laugh. “You’re so lame Eren.”

Hanji remained outside, and one of her subordinates showed up with a tablet. Eren figured she was working on the research materials she had gathered from the experiments, so he turned his focus back on Armin. He stared at his friend, eyeing him up for any sign of mistreatment. His blond hair was as neat as ever and his blue eyes didn’t seem to have any bags under them, neither did he seem to be suffering from thirst. Armin let out a sigh and Eren jumped, caught off guard.

“I’m fine, Eren,” he mumbled. “Stop looking over me like you’re a mother hen; you remind me of Mikasa.”

Eren’s mouth popped open in an ‘O’ of fake horror. The look earned him a laugh from Armin and Eren smiled easily, and a little sadly. “Sorry, I just worry about you guys, you know? This isn’t our home.” His voice went soft. “Nowhere is really our home now.”

Armin glanced at Eren seriously. He watched the way Eren’s eyes unfocused for a minute before they turned on him, bright as always. “What happened? Something is off with you today, you’re trying to hide your negative emotions.”

Eren smiled without any humor; Armin always could tell when something was wrong. Although Armin was what Eren, and many others, would call cute, it caused people to sometimes forget that he was one of the smartest people around.

He sighed and recounted his first feeding, the fight, including his own theory, and Clan Leader Erwin’s suggestions. Armin was quiet for a while and the silence began to make Eren uncomfortable.

“…Did the attack remind you of your mother’s death?” Armin asked quietly.

Eren’s eyes widened. How could Armin have known, even when he didn’t solely focus on the attack? Suddenly Eren’s throat tightened and he nodded. That wasn’t the only problem though. The feeding had reminded Eren that he was no longer the same as Armin or Mikasa. He wasn’t even the same as the vampires. He was quite alone, more so than he’d first thought. Armin patted him gently on the back and the small gesture of kindness was too much for Eren to handle. He slumped in on himself and leaned against Armin, silent sobs shaking his now seemingly small frame. _I miss my mom,_ he admitted forlornly. _I just want to see her again, just once. Tell her that I really love her even if she coddled me._ Armin sat still and let Eren cry it out.

Armin waited until Eren’s tremors faded before he spoke up. “Eren, it’s okay to be sad about losing your mom. Hanji’s out there because you didn’t want Levi to see you being ‘weak,’ right?” Eren nodded, again surprised at Armin’s reasoning although he really shouldn’t have been. “You aren’t weak for missing someone who’s gone. Everyone needs to cry, and grieve. You didn’t have time for that while you and Mikasa were on the run, so grieve now. Nobody is going to call you a baby or think lesser of you for acting human.” Eren almost cracked a smile at the irony. A half-werewolf, half-vampire acting human? Who would have thought?

Eren was so focused on Armin’s words that he missed the quiet footsteps that signaled Levi’s arrival. He stood next to Hanji and they listened in silence to the conversation taking place inside.

“It’s just hard. I took my family life for granted when I had it. Even now, I chose to see you over Mikasa when I should have seen you both. You’re my only family now…

“Armin, I swear to whoever is listening, God or whatever, that I _will_ get revenge for my mother’s death. For Mikasa’s struggles in having to care for me although she would have been better off without me. For you, who had to leave the only home you’ve ever known – even if you didn’t have a family, you had friends. I won’t let their sacrifices, or your own, be for nothing. Our counsel has been corrupt for years now, and I’m going to make sure they don’t harm anyone else again.”

As Eren’s small speech progressed, the traces of a man who had just cried left his voice and was replaced with a grim determination that Armin knew next to nothing could shake. Armin didn’t say anything for a moment, but he grabbed Eren’s hand, squeezing it gently. “And Mikasa and I will help you with that. I’m your best friend, she’s your sister; you aren’t alone in this Eren. So remember that it’s okay to lean on us.”

Hanji cleared her throat and Eren’s head snapped up, noticing Levi for the first time. He felt his cheeks warm slightly, but he remembered Armin’s words of encouragement and steeled himself – Armin had been right; there was no reason for Eren to feel embarrassed.

“It’s time to go back, Armin,” Hanji murmured gently.

Armin nodded but turned back to Eren first. “Let Mikasa see you tomorrow; she’s your sister and she’s worried. She just wants to protect you, like your mom asked.”

Eren shut his eyes to try to block out the memory of his mom yelling at Mikasa to protect him, but he didn’t trust himself to talk and instead nodded once. Armin smiled before turning back and following Hanji out and to his own quarters.

Levi stepped in the room and Eren glanced at him warily. “How much did you hear?” he murmured.

Levi shrugged. “I only heard the last of it. Do you mind if I make a comment on it, though?”

Eren mulled it over before nodding, a bit reluctantly.

Levi rolled his eyes. “If you don’t want to hear it, just say so you stupid brat.”

Eren blinked. “No, please. Go ahead.”

Levi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand. He seemed tired and as he began to speak it showed in the tired tone of his voice. “Revenge is fine to motivate you for the first few weeks of your integration here, but you’ll need to find something stronger. Have you thought ahead, to what will happen when you actually possibly defeat this counsel?  Revenge will leave you cold and empty, but I heard you with that boy. Build friendships like that, with as many people as you can. That will keep you going, even if revenge can’t. There aren’t many feelings strong than those of wanting revenge, but the need to protect the people you care for just might one of them. I may not act like it, but that shitty four-eyes,” he jerked his head in the direction Hanji had disappeared to, “and Clan Leader Handsome you met earlier, they’re my best friends. Without them I wouldn’t be here.” Levi made a disgusted face. “If you repeat this to anyone, I’ll kill you. Then I’ll kill the people you tell.” _What is it about this kid that makes me tell him things nobody else really knows?_ Levi wondered. “Anyways, you get my drift, right?”

Eren nodded mutely, turning over Levi’s words. He knew that he shouldn’t take them lightly, but with the haze of grief and fresh rage the words were having a hard time sticking. He committed them to memory for later thought and shut his eyes wearily.

“Thank you,” he murmured quietly.

Levi shrugged and abruptly changed the topic as if he was embarrassed. “Follow me. I have fresh clothes ready, and permission for you to use the shower in my room. You’re filthy so clean up well and then we’ll come back and you can sleep, okay?”

Eren grunted something that sounded like a confirmation and he got up to follow Levi, mind buzzing with the day’s events and conversations.

That night he was too exhausted to dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that the EreRi aspect of this fic has been slow (hence the tag 'Slow Build') but I hope you guys are recognizing that Levi already treats Eren differently, and I'll get into the romance in a few chapters if you could just stick it out with me! This update was just over 4,000 words, and I'm hoping they'll get even longer with time because I really am happy with the way this fic is going.
> 
> Also, I'm aware that this isn't a well-known fic or anything but I'm going to track the tag 'fic: thirsting for revenge' on tumblr, and that's where I'll also put updates on my progress of the story.
> 
> Constructive criticism and comments are always welcome, and you can always tell me what you think through a tumblr message (bakageta-ai)!


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